Cyber Porn

The report that up to 200,000 Filipinos are now offering sex through the Internet is a bit exaggerated, according to the Philippine National Police. The figure, reported by a congressman, may be a little high if one considers that millions of Filipinos still have no access to the Internet. But being computer literate is not a requirement for recruits of sex traffickers. And 200,000 may even be a modest figure, considering how the flesh trade, including child prostitution, continues to flourish in this country mainly because of poverty.

Instead of disputing the figures, the government must move quickly to improve law enforcers’ capability to go after purveyors of cyber sex. Philippine law enforcement has barely managed to keep in step with rapid advances in information and communication technology. Laws against hacking and related cyber crimes were passed only a few years back. Yesterday law enforcers said the country needs new laws to go after cyber porn.

With the legislature preoccupied with political matters, however, it may take some time before laws against cyber sex may be passed. In the meantime, law enforcers will have to rely on existing laws against pornography and human trafficking. Lawmen should also enlist the help of barangay officials to keep a close watch on Internet cafés and potential cyber sex dens. Civic groups may also be enlisted to warn people about cyber sex shops.

People enter the flesh trade mainly out of need, and there are millions of needy people in this country. Parents sell their own children for sex. People unaware of the global reach of the Internet may find undressing in front of a video camera more benign than going naked in front of an audience in a nightclub. It is not surprising that operators of cyber sex shops thrive in this country. If the government cannot stop people from selling their bodies, it should improve its capability to stop purveyors of cyber porn from exploiting poverty and ignorance.